Climate Change

After much pressure over many months, the Canadian government has reluctantly decided to put climate change on the G20 agenda and has offered $400 million to a climate change fund. However, Canada has little moral ground to stand on regarding climate change and is becoming a global pariah on the issue. The Alberta Tar Sands, which produce three times as much greenhouse gas as conventional oil, are expected to be emitting more greenhouse gases than the entire nation of Denmark by 2015. Tar Sands extraction will release twice the amount produced currently by all the cars and trucks in Canada. (download Tar Sands Facts reference here)

It is simply impossible for Canada to reduce overall emissions levels and begin to curb climate change as long as the Tar Sands are in production.

Harper also dismissed the Kyoto accord soon after he came into office. Under Kyoto, Canada was to have cut emissions by 6% between 1990 and 2012. Instead, emissions are up 26%. This isn’t all the fault of the Conservative government, as the Liberal government that preceded was way behind on targets as well. But Harper has done nothing but exacerbate the problem.